Nature Study Analysis

The poem “nature study” is about animals in a zoo being in a timeless and hibernation state. A state of boredom and lifelessness passes over all the animals in the zoo .Its atmosphere is one that lacks energy and the powerful allusions help to convey the idea of boredom. The theme of hibernation present throughout the poem also helps bring out the animals’ boredom
The theme of hibernation, is brought about by diction of the poet, brings about the boredom and lifelessness in the zoo by giving readers the imagery of animals in endless slumber as they would be in”wintertime”.The animals are all “asleep” and their hearts are like “sleepy gongs”, much unlike the fast paced heartbeat they would have when they were active and about, thus showing that the animals are rather lifeless and would be like dead animals on display at a as Breaths of lizards like “steamed up windows”, “shivering” grasshoppers and the “trussed “”cold chicken” African lizard. The description of all the animals to be immersed in a freezing environment with the lizards being so cold where even their breath fog and steam up and grasshoppers and crickets practically frozen help to bring about the idea that they are so bored that they appear dead and are in a hibernation mode as animals only hibernate in the winter
Objectification of the living animals also allows readers to sense the boredom and lifelessness of the animals. Lizards are “perched pagodas”, cobras are spaghetti” and walruses are a “chaise lounge”. The comparison of living breathing animals to inanimate objects suggest that the animals are the equivalent of an object in the current state they are in as they are so lifeless and dead, they can be mistaken for the respective things listed thus reinforcing the point that the animals are